A's Craig Gentry, Nick Punto still on the mend

OAKLAND -- The A's aren't counting on seeing either outfielder Craig Gentry or infielder Nick Punto in the near term.

Gentry, eligible to come off the disabled list Tuesday, has a broken right hand that is going to take longer to heal than a 15-day day stay on the DL.

"He's just throwing right now,'' manager Bob Melvin said. "He tried to grip a bat the other day and it didn't go so well. So until he can grip a bat, whether it's dry swings or tee work or something like that, then you start to look at a timetable for him. But he's still not comfortable with the bat.''

Melvin said that Gentry probably would go out on an injury rehabilitation assignment after he's physically sound.

"When you are out a couple of weeks, it's prudent that you get some at-bats and have a good feeling coming back,'' he said. "That's probably the case with him.''

Punto, not eligible to come back from the disabled list until the start of the next homestand Aug. 19, has been impacted by his hamstring injury enough that he's not doing any baseball activities. That means he won't be on the plane when the A's fly to Kansas City after Sunday's game with the Twins and that he won't be ready when he's eligible.

"He's kind of going through that period where he's trying to work through the stiffness, the tightness that he has,'' Melvin said. "He's not near baseball activity at this point. He's been through plenty of these and knows how to deal with them. But we're not at the point yet where he'll be starting any baseball activity now.''

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Terry Steinbach, who was a rookie with the A's in 1987, Tony La Russa's first full season managing in Oakland, was behind the plate to catch La Russa's first pitch on Tony La Russa Bobblehead Night at the Coliseum Saturday.

It's unusual to have someone from the visiting team catch the ceremonial throw, but this was deemed appropriate with Steinbach having been the A's primary catcher for almost La Russa's entire tenure as manager.

"It's unusual, but the Twins didn't have a problem with it,'' Steinbach said. "It'll be fun. I think if I have to get into a catcher's crouch, though, I may be looking at making a workman's comp claim.''

The A's were still talking about the double play started by Josh Donaldson in the top of the fifth inning Friday of what was at that point still a scoreless game. The third baseman made a diving stop of a bullet hit by the Twins' Kurt Suzuki, jumped up and fired off a throw that second baseman Eric Sogard would turn for two outs to end the inning.

"When the ball is hit, you are thinking of it being down in the corner,'' Melvin said. "Now all of a sudden it turns into two (outs). There aren't many third basemen who are going to make that play. And to get up and throw it perfectly, and Sogard making a great turn, that was huge as far as the game went.''

The A's would score four times in the bottom of the fifth en route to a 6-5 win.

"Momentum swings aren't necessarily always offensive,'' the manager said. "They can be defensive. A play or two one way or the other gets you the momentum.''

First baseman/outfielder Kyle Blanks started his injury rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Sacramento Saturday.

The plan will call for his to be there at least a week as he recovers from the left calf strain that has already cost him 40 games. He will get a couple of starts as the first baseman, a couple more as the DH and two in the outfield.